Exclusive! A Scene from Lars von Trier’s “Antichrist”

Exclusive! A Scene from Lars von Trier's "Antichrist"

Tonight, October 22 at midnight, Lars von Trier’s “Antichrist” will opens in the U.S. in a limited release. indieWIRE is pleased to unveil an exclusive clip of the new film courtesy of IFC Films. In the movie, a mother (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is crippled by the loss of her toddler son. Her husband (Willem Dafoe) takes her out of psychiatric care and begins his own psychological regimen, which takes them back to a remote garden, Eden.

The film opens in New York, LA, D.C., Cambridge, Chicago and San Francisco this weekend, expanding to other cities next week, and it will debut on VOD on cable television on October 28th.

A round-up of the coverage of the film on indieWIRE:

This week, von Trier stopped by the indieWIRE studios via Skype. In the interview, von Trier says, ““I think working with actors is a little bit how a chef would work with a potato…” Check out the conversation with von Trier and editors Brian Brooks and Eugene Hernandez for more insight on the film and the director’s work, with his answers to questions submitted by you!

In Cannes, von Trier called himself “the greatest film director in the world,” Eugene Hernandez noted when the Danish director first spoke of his latest feature. Von Trier explained, “This knowledge I have that I am the best director, I see it as true. I am sure other directors may feel the same, [but] maybe they dont say it. I am not sure I am. I just think I am.” Andy Lauer compiled the reactions of von Trier and Gainsbourg’s counter-reactions to the Cannes screening at the time.

Eager to get a reaction from American audiences at his NYFF premiere, von Trier exclaimed in a post-screening press conference, “You didn’t notice any walkouts? Then I have failed.” indieWIRE reported from that press conference, which, did have some very unhappy journalists. The film’s New York screenings also grabbed headlines when, according to Peter Knegt, an audience member went into a seizure during an especially graphic scene.

In indieWIRE‘s review of the film, Anthony Kaufman writes, “With ‘Antichrist,’ Lars von Trier fully lives up to his reputation as an outrageous provocateur and master image-maker.” In Reverse Shot, Chris Wisniewski begins his take by saying that though overly-sensationalized and overly-discussed in Cannes, the film is still under-examined. “Neither a disposable abomination nor a misunderstood masterpiece, it’s the sort of challenging mess of a movie that demands examination, contextualization, and analysis. Von Trier may be a nut, but he’s also, as ‘Antichrist’ makes clear, talented, frustrating, and intermittently brilliant. “

In the following clip, He (Dafoe) takes She (Gainsbourg) to Eden for the first time after her hospital stay. Her reaction, is…well, you can see it below…